


Ultraviolet

by nh8343



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 12:38:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nh8343/pseuds/nh8343
Summary: Fresh out of college, Jongdae lives a pretty normal life: paying bills, keeping tabs on his obnoxious roommate, and being the city’s most adored superhero. Naturally, everything starts to spiral out of control.





	Ultraviolet

**Author's Note:**

> [Cross-posted from AFF] Written for the DaelightSaving fic fest.

 

Jongdae’s Friday morning is off to an exceptionally good start: the sun is shining, the birds are singing...and he gets to race across town with neurologically-enhanced superspeed. Just one of the many perks of having electricity pulsing through his body. As a superhero, the flashier power of shooting lightning from his hands was always more popular with crowds, but Jongdae’s personal favorite would have to be the superspeed. And not just because he gets to save on gas money.

 

He’s on his way to this week’s fourth crime scene after being alerted by his modified wristwatch (a handy gift from his employer) just minutes ago. It’s almost a shame that just when he’s really getting into the run, he reaches his destination; Jongdae knows he’s found the right spot when he sees the usual crowd of fanclub members gathered near the bank’s entrance, as close as they can get without getting yelled at by the police.

 

The fanclub is...interesting to explain. On one hand, the girls (and guys) in the group are generally cheering for Jongdae to kick some supervillain butt, but this goal always seems to be tossed to the side in favor of one distraction: the so-called “forbidden romance” between himself and his archnemesis. Jongdae humors them since he _does_ appreciate having fans in the first place (and he does get paid bonuses to make headlines regardless of how he ends up there), but if he hears the words “Ultraviolet Couple” one more time from the self-named “Violets” that make up the fanclub...well, he won’t actually be surprised. Said archnemesis has a habit of enjoying their fan following a bit too much.

 

Contrived relationship aside, the Violets are exceptionally skilled at getting good shots of Jongdae in action ━ shots that he may or may not download on a regular basis from his official fansite. It’s not like he can’t appreciate good art, even if he himself happens to be the subject.

 

(Jongdae’s just glad he’s not wearing spandex, or he’d be pretty self-conscious about the pictures they’re constantly snapping. His reinforced jumpsuit and eyemask are much more tasteful than the fashion nightmares of past heroes.)

 

“Thundershock is here!” one of the Violets shouts excitedly, and with the answering screams from the rest of the fanclub, Jongdae can’t help but show off. He pushes himself to run even faster, so focused on looking good that he nearly runs into a lamppost. It’s only thanks to sheer speed that he can play his sudden veering off as an intentional loop around said obstacle.

 

_Smooth as always, Jongdae._

 

Behind him, a loud boom comes from inside of the bank. It’s the only warning Jongdae gets before the front wall explodes in a shower of fire and concrete, and a figure emerges from the billowing smoke. He has a hunch who it is even before he sees the perpetrator’s face, since there’s only one criminal known to be that short...

 

Sure enough, it’s him: Jongdae’s number one enemy, the city’s number one thief and arsonist, and quite possibly the most annoying human being he’s ever come into contact with (and not just because the man had copied Jongdae’s costume and changed the color): Solar Flare.

 

It doesn’t help that Solar Flare is the biggest damn showoff Jongdae has ever seen, because the bag of cash in his hands indicates this is a robbery and did he _really_ need to blow a hole in a building to get what he wanted? Just because he can shoot fire from his hands doesn’t mean he has to put another dent in the city’s already-suffering budget. Jerk.

 

“Thundershock!” Solar Flare calls to him, putting his free hand on his hip. “You just keep trying to stop me, don’t you? Maybe you’ll have better luck this time.”

 

“Good to see you’re still resorting to theatrics to hide the fact that you’re the lamest villain I’ve fought in this city.”

 

“I’d hate to see how often you catch the more serious ones, then. Hasn’t it only been one time that you’ve managed to get me arrested? And I was out the next day.” Jongdae’s pretty sure Solar Flare winks at him, even if it’s partially hidden by the mask. “I’m beginning to think you like me too much, babe.”

 

(The resulting screams by the fanclub only serve to make it more infuriating.)

 

“In your dreams.”

 

If Solar Flare loved putting effort into his job as much as he loved getting screentime in the Violets’ fancams, he might actually make a half-decent supervillain. He’d also make Jongdae’s life much easier if he’d tone it down with the damn flirting all the time, but that was another issue entirely.

 

Done with the petty hero/villain banter, Jongdae finally takes it upon himself to end the conversation: he shoots first. Lightning sparks in his palms for a brief moment before shooting out of his hands in Solar Flare’s direction with deadly accuracy.

 

Which would have been the end of it, had Solar Flare not seen the attack coming the second it got near him. With what Jongdae personally considers the supervillain’s most annoying power, he disappears from the targeted spot with a quick bend of the light, appearing a few feet away safe and unharmed.

 

“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Solar Flare tells him with a smirk on his face, and that’s the cue for the battle to really begin. Good. The only reason Jongdae can suffer through the small-talk is because he gets to finally let loose with his abilities ━ and save the city in the process.

 

Within seconds, the area in front of the bank is filled with the exchange of attacks, beams of heat and lightning crisscrossing each other in a chaotic display of energy. Solar Flare may have the light-bending trick up his sleeve to narrowly avoid Jongdae’s bolts, but Jongdae himself isn’t without tricks of his own: his speed lets him outrun all of Solar Flare’s fireballs. He’ll never admit it out loud, but they’re quite the evenly matched pair.

 

Evenly matched, that is, until Solar Flare misjudges one lightning bolt and is forced to drop the bag of cash to defend himself with a shield of fire. No money, no successful robbery; Jongdae’s got this.

 

With one final burst of speed, Jongdae rushes forward, and he’s treated to the look of surprise on Solar Flare’s face as the distance between them shrinks to almost nothing.

 

Except one moment Jongdae’s about to grab him and finally turn him in to the police, and the next moment he suddenly can’t breathe because there’s a pair of lips pressed firmly to his and _is Solar Flare kissing him right now what the actUAL HELL._

 

A muffled noise that sounds vaguely like “ _mmpph_!!” comes out of Jongdae’s mouth, but beyond that the processors in his brain seem to shut down entirely. His world fades out to a faint, high-pitched buzz that blocks out the Violets’ delighted shrieks, the camera flashes multiplying by 10, 20, 100.

 

And then just as quickly as it happens, it’s over.

 

Jongdae’s senses come rushing back to him just in time to hear cackling fill the air as Solar Flare flashes away from him in a series of light-bending teleportations.

 

“Better luck next time, my dearest Thundershock!” the supervillain calls before he disappears entirely.

 

Is Jongdae still a bit in shock from the events of the last few seconds? Yes. Do Solar Flare’s words make Jongdae want to drop-kick him into the next city? Absolutely. But at least he didn’t get what he came for: the robbery itself had been stopped. Jongdae has to admit it’s not bad for a day’s work.

 

And the congratulatory cheers of the assembled Violets make the exertion of the fight entirely worth it.

 

~*~

 

After changing back into his civilian clothes at a nearby safehouse, Jongdae heads home to his apartment. He’s unsurprised but unamused at the scene he’s greeted with.

 

“Oh for the love of...Baek, what are you doing?”

 

His roommate is standing on a table in the center of the room, singing along to some bubblegum-pop girl group song that’s blasting from the TV with what may possibly be the most obnoxious sounds Jongdae has ever heard come from his mouth. And that’s saying a lot.

 

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun turns around for a split second to greet him before launching into the chorus. The wail that he belts out will probably earn them their second noise complaint this week from the neighboring tenants.

 

“Will you please cut it out? You know what happened last━”

 

“Nononono the bridge is starting!!” Baekhyun calls, cutting him off as he does this move with his hips that has the tips of Jongdae’s ears going red. (He _SWEARS_ it’s just from secondhand embarrassment.)

 

With a quick “That’s more than enough for today,” Jongdae turns the TV off, making Baekhyun plop into the nearest chair with a pout.

 

“Don’t give me that look. I’m exhausted, and the week’s just started.”

 

Baekhyun shrugs, giving him a silent “ _fair enough”_. Aloud, he asks, “Tough day at work?”

 

Right, work. As far as Baekhyun’s known for the two years since they graduated, Jongdae’s been working as an event planner. Not the most glamorous of fake jobs, but at least it gives him a good excuse for leaving and coming back at weird hours of the day. It’s not too different from Baekhyun’s own schedule, actually, ever since his roommate nabbed the open reporter position for the local news station. And best of all, now they weren’t (entirely) broke.

 

...Okay, so Jongdae will admit that his reasons for joining the Hero Agency in the first place weren’t exactly noble. He had bills to pay on top of student loans, and also happened to be part of a small percentage of the population with superpowers, so what was he going to do? It was only logical for him to go for an interview, and before he knew it, he’d become the new face among the crime-fighting force of the city: Thundershock.

 

It took about a month for him to get used to putting himself in mortal danger every time he went to work, skillfully dodging his roommate’s suspicion, and having two different personas, but he’d ended up settling in quite nicely. (And Baekhyun’s exaggeratedly-dramatic tears of joy when they could finally stop begging for change to eat off the dollar menu admittedly made it all worth the effort.)

 

Of course, that’s not to say that Jongdae agrees with all of the department’s decisions. Case in point: his superhero name. He can still distinctly remember the first time that he and Solar Flare had met in battle…

 

_“But why is your name…?”_

 

_“Ask my damn manager.”_

 

_Solar Flare looks at him, blank-faced, for a moment before he starts to say, “But thunder doesn’t even…?”_

 

_“I KNOW_ . _”_

 

Not exactly his shining moment as a hero.

 

Pulling his attention back to Baekhyun’s question, Jongdae only answers with a truthful “you could say that.” It’s not as if he particularly enjoys lying to his roommate-slash-best friend on a daily basis, so he generally tries to stay as vague as possible.

 

“That intern still giving you trouble?”

 

(Which is sort of difficult to do when Baekhyun loves the sound of his own voice.)

 

“It really shouldn’t surprise me anymore,” Jongdae tells him, then quickly tries to change the subject. “And how exactly are _you_ so full of energy? Weren’t you covering something for the morning news today?”

 

Baekhyun gives him a devious grin. “You know me: I feed off of bringing annoyance and misery to my coworkers,” he shoots back, and breaks off with a yelp as Jongdae punches his arm on the way to the kitchen.

 

“Ooh, dinner?” Now he certainly has Baekhyun’s attention. “Make me steak?”

 

Jongdae gives him an unimpressed look. “You can have my grilled cheese or you can starve.”

 

“Grilled cheese sounds wonderful, honey~” is the sugar-coated line he gets in response.

 

Jongdae just about hits him with the frying pan.

 

~*~

 

Solar Flare’s most heinous crime of them all happens on an ordinary Tuesday, when Jongdae is woken up at around 7 in the morning by the beeping of his wristwatch. The Hero Agency has received an anonymous tip for attempted arson at one of the warehouses on the city outskirts, so he hauls his half-conscious body across town as fast as he can.

 

And Solar Flare, that most evil scourge of humanity...doesn’t show up.

 

Jongdae curses his conscience, because it’s what makes him feel obligated to try and keep the ever-present fanclub members entertained while they wait. He gets a handful of laughs at first, sure, but their amusement doesn’t last.

 

It takes around twenty minutes of awkward waiting around for Solar Flare to show up until the Violets finally disperse, and Jongdae tries not to feel offended that they’ve become bored of his pitiful attempts to hold their attention (after all, Solar Flare has always been the one to pander for camera time). He’s left to stand on his own in the center of the warehouse, feeling somewhere in between disappointed and annoyed.

 

“After all the time I took to get ready…” he mutters to himself, glaring at the concrete walls like they’ll be intimidated. With a sigh, he takes the mask off his head and tucks it under his arm. If Jongdae’s going to take the walk of shame back home, he’s going to at least do it without getting asked for an autograph. There should be a safehouse he can stop at along the way to change completely out of his costume…

 

A soft gasp echoes through the warehouse, making Jongdae’s head whip toward the door, and he’s met with the starstruck gaze of the Violets’ fanclub president ━ Kim Jongin, he’s almost positive. The Hero Agency had done an extensive background check on him when he’d become head of the fanclub, just to make sure he wasn’t a threat and….and why is Jongdae thinking of this now when _his identity has just been compromised_.

 

_SHIT._

 

“Mister Thundershock, sir,” Jongin says, coming closer to him, “I’m so sorry; I just came back because I left my camera, but I didn’t think…oh my gosh, I’m _so_ sorry!”

 

Another world-weary sigh escapes Jongdae’s lips. “It’s…well, it’s technically against regulation, but you seem like a nice enough guy. Even if I’ve only seen you behind a camera.”

 

“I’m your biggest fan! I’ve been keeping up with you ever since your first battle with Solar Flare a year ago, when your star-crossed love story began. And I run the Ultraviolet fansite for both of you, too!”

 

Jongdae isn’t sure if he should feel more flattered or overwhelmed with the level of Jongin’s commitment, but the man’s genuine enthusiasm makes him lean toward the former (he’s aggressively ignoring the “star-crossed love story” line).

 

“And I appreciate your dedication. Just…you can’t tell anyone you’ve seen me without my mask on, okay? Even if you don’t know who I am.”

 

“Don’t worry about me, Mister Thundershock, sir! I’m your fan; I would never dream of compromising your identity!”

 

“You don’t have to keep calling me that. Just Jongdae is fine.”

 

“But, Mister Thundershock, sir…I thought you didn’t want me to know who you were…”

 

_Kim Jongdae, you moron._

 

“Forget you heard anything,” Jongdae tells him, mentally slapping himself in the face. “Stick with what I already said: don’t tell anyone this happened.”

 

“I swear I won’t, Mister━ Jongdae, sir. I’ll keep your secret! Cross my heart! I’ll die before I say anything about what I know!”

 

Huh. Jongdae needs to exploit his celebrity status more often. Or maybe that thought is the power going to his head already.

       

Is this how supervillain origin stories start?

 

~*~

 

Jongdae slams the door to the apartment harder than he intends as he walks in, and he’s quick enough to see how it makes Baekhyun jump, the latter hastily putting his phone away.

 

“You’re home early,” Jongdae mutters, still in a mood, but he stops listening as Baekhyun starts with an excuse about the segment he was working on being dropped from tomorrow’s broadcast. The annoyance that’s been simmering in his chest for the past hour is much too distracting.

 

“You know what I hate?” he says suddenly. “How damn ungrateful and unreliable some people can be. Here I am spending my precious time doing something I don’t always enjoy, and someone wants to _waste it_? It’s just completely unprofessional.”

 

Baekhyun makes a small sound to show he’s heard, and if Jongdae wasn’t so far gone in his rant, he would have asked why his roommate suddenly seemed so quiet.

 

“And that’s on _top_ of the fact that he’s constantly in the way of me doing my job in the first place! What kind of jerk do you have to be to do that to someone??”

 

He stomps into the kitchen and starts to brew a cup of coffee, hoping the caffeine will help lift his mood. But of course he’s not allowed to have _one_ nice thing today, and he ends up standing frustrated in the middle of the kitchen with hot water spilled all over his hands.

 

_Please...just let this Tuesday be over._

 

He takes one deep breath, two, and is surprised when a pair of arms wraps around him from behind. A chin comes up to rest on his shoulder, not really tall enough, but he supposes it’s the thought that counts.

 

“Sorry you had a bad day,” Baekhyun tells him, uncharacteristically quiet.

 

Jongdae lets out a sigh. “Thanks.”

 

A small thought crosses his mind that his roommate really is acting a bit off, but he’s too exhausted to dwell on it. He lets himself relax for that passing moment of closeness, enjoying the warmth that lets him know at least _someone_ cares.

 

~*~

 

Jongdae confronts Solar Flare in front of City Hall, after the insistent Hero Agency had passed along reports that morning of his archnemesis using concentrated heat to deface the building. He supposes the crime is…original? Somehow it seems uninspired. But either way, at least it should give Jongdae an opportunity to call the man out for the uncomfortable hour he was forced to suffer through yesterday.

 

Or, at least, that’s what he’d thought before he actually showed up. He’d forgotten to take one very important factor into consideration: the Violets. The fanclub members are clustered by the scene of the crime as usual, cameras out and phones ready to tweet out any juicy details. Jongdae would rather not have the loss of his dignity preserved in one of those fan accounts.

 

After they’ve gotten their initial greetings (read: sharply-barbed insults) out of the way, Jongdae asks Solar Flare more seriously, “Can we take this inside? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

 

“A private chat, huh?” Jongdae can just imagine the exaggerated way Solar Flare is wiggling his eyebrows under his mask. “Hear that, Violets? We’re finally going to get some alone time.”

 

Each of the shrieks from the assembled fanclub is like a bullet to Jongdae’s already-struggling pride. The other man is lucky that he chooses that moment to disappear with a quick bending of the sunlight, because otherwise Jongdae would have a few choice words about his fanservice.

 

He gives one last wave to the Violets before walking in through the front entrance of City Hall, cursing the fact that his exit isn’t nearly half as memorable as his counterpart’s. Dashing short distances with lightning speed is a great crowd-pleaser until you run straight into a door and are reduced to a pile on the floor. Not that he’d be speaking from personal experience…

 

He finds Solar Flare leaning against the door to the meeting room, looking just judgmental enough to get under Jongdae’s skin. “So, you wanted to talk?” the supervillain asks with a smirk.

 

“Yeah, about the fact that you stood me up yesterday. What the hell was that?” He regrets the words as soon as he sees Solar Flare’s expression.

 

“Aww, Thundershock, did you really miss me that much?”

 

Jongdae is distinctly aware of the fact that there are no cameras around anymore, which means the over-the-top act is being put on for the sole purpose of embarrassing him.

 

“I am _so_ not in the mood for this right now.”

 

The shit-eating grin on Solar Flare’s face is pure evil. “But I was so sure I could feel the sparks between us!”

 

“If you drop one more bad pick-up line, I swear to god━”

 

“Hey, you know what happens when lightning hits a light, don’t you? They go out.”

 

Before he can fully think it through, Jongdae curls his fingers into a fist and sucker-punches Solar Flare in the face.

 

It would have been impressive, too, if his knuckles hadn’t made direct contact with the other man’s cheekbone. Because now his hand is stinging badly enough to make his eyes water behind the mask, and he has to bite his lip to keep the rest of his pride intact and _what superhero nearly breaks his hand punching someone in the face!?_

 

_I am the most pathetic excuse for a hero, aren’t I._

 

It’s not a question.

 

He’s also hit with the realization (a terrible choice of words) that this is...actually the first time he’s managed to land a punch. Sure, he’s managed to give him a good electric shock before, but...

 

Solar Flare seems to have the same thought, because he stays rooted to the spot, hand slowly coming up to gingerly press his cheek. His eyes are as wide as Jongdae’s own must be.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean…” Jongdae starts, before he catches himself. “Wait, why am I apologizing? Don’t act so surprised that I punched you in the face when you’re my archnemesis, idiot.”

 

It feels wrong when Solar Flare doesn’t have a biting comeback for that. He just takes a step toward the exit with an unenthusiastic “Right” before he adds, “Well you might want to get that hand checked out, Mister ‘Superhero’.” The sarcastic quotations come across loud and clear.

 

One more bend of the light, and the supervillain disappears before Jongdae can retort that at least _he_ wasn’t the one who’d gotten punched in the face.

 

(Though the sudden exit _does_ give him time to cradle his damaged hand and cry very manly tears.)

 

~*~

 

Jongdae is back at the apartment wrapping bandages around his hand, muttering curses under his breath all the while, when he hears the front door open and close.

 

Even without looking, he knows it’s Baekhyun, if only because of the way said man _still_ manages to trip over the extra inch of metal protruding from the bottom of the doorframe. The only thing out of place is how he doesn’t call out an obnoxiously peppy greeting as he walks in, which is what makes Jongdae’s head turn towards the door ━ only to see Baekhyun attempting to sneak toward the stairs.

 

“Baek...?”

 

It only takes a split second for Baekhyun to look Jongdae’s way, but the moment he does, they both freeze.

 

And Jongdae stares.

 

And stares.

 

Because there, resting on the curve Baekhyun’s left cheekbone, is a rapidly-purpling bruise. A bruise that’s precisely the size of Jongdae’s fist.

 

“What…”

 

“Look, Jongdae, I can explain━”

 

“...the…”

 

“This looks worse than it actually is. If you’ll listen━”

 

“...hell.”

 

“Just promise me you won’t freak out until━”

 

Jongdae’s brain finally stops short-circuiting, just in time for him to lose it completely.

 

“BYUN BAEKHYUN, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU OH MY GOD,” he’s yelling, lunging forward even before he’s finished.

 

Baekhyun’s self-preservation instincts kick in, and he takes off running into the next room, Jongdae hot on his heels. “I can explain!” he yells.

 

“How long have you known!?”

 

“Only since yesterday, I swear! That’s why I didn’t show up at the warehouse, because as you’re now realizing, it’s a lot to process!”

 

“And you didn’t think to tell me!?”

 

“I didn’t exactly know how to bring it up and WILL YOU STOP TRYING TO KILL ME,” Baekhyun yells, just barely escaping Jongdae’s next lunge.

 

“Maybe if you can explain to me why the hell you became a supervillain in the first place??”

 

They’re on their third lap around the apartment now, both pretending they’re not running short on breath.

 

“In this economy?” Baekhyun says pointedly.  “I have to pay the rent somehow - you of all people should understand! We just happened to take opposite paths.” And it makes Jongdae even angrier because it makes _sense._

 

Baekhyun makes a detour for the kitchen, and suddenly they’re on opposite sides of the counter, waiting to rush one way or another. When Jongdae sees even the slightest twitch of movement, he darts left, but Baekhyun’s too fast; they end up just like they started, only with their positions reversed.

 

“Will you chill for like one minute!?” Baekhyun pants.

 

“Not when you’ve been lying to me for the past two years!”

 

“So have you, hypocrite!”

 

They switch sides of the counter again, and Jongdae’s hit with another realization.

 

“Oh my god, so now this means you were the one to kiss me.”

 

The shade of red that rages on Baekhyun’s face can only be described as iridescent. “Well it isn’t like I knew I was attracted to _you_! Though you think I’d have figured it out by myself, even with the mask…”

 

“What did you say?” Jongdae asks, voice suddenly constricting to a squeak.

 

“What…?” Baekhyun’s eyes go wide. “Oh shit no, you heard me wrong. I meant if I knew it was you, I wouldn’t have just kissed you to distract you.”

 

“But you still would have??”

 

Then Baekhyun’s voice starts to get whiny. “Look, can we not do this? It’s really not how I wanted my heartfelt confession to go, especially when you’re still set on MURDERING ME APPARENTLY.”

 

Jongdae is frozen, processing this new revelation on top of the other just a few minutes ago and very much chalking that stupid pounding in his chest up to shock. In his state of surprise, Baekhyun seizes the opportunity to dart past him and race toward the front door.

 

“YOU CAN’T JUST CONFESS TO ME AND RUN AWAY!” Jongdae screams after him, but Baekhyun’s already dashing out the door and closing it behind him. By the time Jongdae opens it to chase him down, he only catches Baekhyun disappearing in a quick bend of the light.

 

_Dammit, you idiot._

 

He stands there for a few moments more before letting out a frustrated noise and storming back inside the house, slamming the door shut.

 

~*~

 

As the clock hands tick forward into the next few days and Jongdae has time to defuse, he becomes less focused on his earlier goal to strangle his roommate to death and more focused on how absolutely miserable he is without the other man’s company.

 

And it’s not as if he can escape that pit of loneliness by going to work: the Hero Agency sends him to fend off other threats in the city, but it’s not the same when he can’t have the familiar dynamic he had with Solar Flare ━ with Baekhyun. His job of fighting crime begins to feel just like that: a job. Not to mention that he almost gets his arm blasted off by GigaBite because he’s plagued with annoying thoughts like “ _What if Baekhyun gets mugged? He’s not exactly intimidating when he’s that short_ ” followed by “ _But he has superpowers, so he’d be fine”_ and inevitably ending with “ _But knowing that idiot, he’d forget, run away screaming, and lose every trace of dignity he still had.”_

 

Not exactly the best situation for his reflexes (and his chances of survival).

 

So he goes to the one person who he figures can help more than anyone: the fanclub president himself. Jongin just about passes out when Jongdae shows up at his front door, but after a few deep breaths and muttered self-reassurances, he invites the other man inside.

 

It’s only a minute after Jongdae takes a seat on the couch that a steaming mug of tea is pushed into his hands, and another two before Jongin stops babbling about his love for Jongdae’s superhero persona enough to start listening (though Jongdae would be lying if he said he didn’t secretly enjoy the praises being thrown his way).

 

“So why did you come to see me?” Jongin asks him, still looking a bit starstruck.

 

“Ba━ Umm, Solar Flare...he’s missing. I can’t give you details, but I’ve waited for more than two days for him to turn up, and there’s been no sign of him. I’m starting to get worried.”

 

The way Jongin seems to be holding back his slew of questions is admirable.

 

“So you think I can help you find him?”

 

“I think you’re my best bet. If anyone had a lead on where he went, it would be one of the Violets.”

 

Jongin ponders this for a moment, looking at his own cup of tea in contemplation. “I...might have a member who saw someone who looked like him a couple days ago?” he finally says. “I can check out a few leads; if any of the Violets question it, I’ll say you sent me a letter with instructions and wouldn’t tell me why.”

 

Jongdae lets out a breath of relief. “Thank you, Jongin,” he says gratefully. “Really. It means a lot.”

 

“Anything for my hero! And anything to reunite our Ultraviolet Couple!” Jongin seems to consider him after he says it, head tilting slightly to one side. “You really care about him a lot, don’t you?”

 

“Haha...right…”

 

_Just because I’m worried about him doesn’t mean I’m in love with him._

 

“It’s so romantic that you two can find happiness even despite your differences~”

 

_Just because I’m this worried about his stupid face with his stupid smile and stupid eyes that twinkle when he’s excited and the stupid way he makes me laugh…_

 

“Well, you know what they say about opposites attracting, right?” Jongdae’s laugh sounds fake even to his own ears.

 

_Just because I’ve known him for so long as both my best friend and my less-than-impressive archenemy and he’s pretty much become my whole world and now he’s apparently had a thing for me for a while...and..._

 

_“_ Jongdae, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

 

_...Shit._

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just...I just remembered somewhere else I have to be. I hate to leave like this, but…”

 

Jongin shakes his head. “It’s no problem! I’ll check out those leads, and if you give me a number, I’ll call you as soon as I find anything!”

 

Head still spinning, it’s a miracle Jongdae manages to tell Jongin anything coherent at all. But somehow he gives the other man the right phone number, and he has a feeling he’ll sleep better that night knowing that Baekhyun will soon be found. It has to only be a matter of time.

 

~*~

 

Another day passes, and Jongdae’s phone doesn’t ring. The emptiness of the apartment room is only surpassed by the emptiness he feels growing in his chest.

 

~*~

 

A knock on Jongdae’s door that evening pulls him out of his Baekhyun-induced stupor, the sound one he hasn’t heard in what feels like ages. Who knocks on his door anymore? His missing roommate has a key and no issue with letting himself in, anyone from the Hero Agency just calls him, and unless Jongin suddenly had the urge to come visit…

 

He opens the door, feeling the chill of the cold night air blow into the apartment, and is met with a shivering Baekhyun standing on his doorstep.

 

In all honesty, he’s relieved beyond words, but the first thing that comes out of his mouth is a flat “You didn’t think to bring your key with you?”

 

Another shiver runs through Baekhyun, and Jongdae almost, _almost_ feels bad for making him wait in the cold before he remembers how much the other man has made him worry the past few days. Baekhyun deserves a little bit of suffering, doesn’t he?

 

“Look, it’s not like I had time to prepare when you _tried to kill me_. Don’t know if that little tidbit escaped your memory. It wasn’t exactly easy to survive on ten dollars and a half-eaten bag of Chex Mix.”

 

“You know, I’m not even surprised how much of blockhead you actually are, considering your face almost broke my hand.”

 

Baekhyun’s lower lip juts out in a miserable pout. “How can you joke at a time like this? I could have _died_!”

 

“You’re a supervillain. Somehow I think you could have managed.”

 

“And you’re never going to let that go, are you?” At Jongdae’s unamused expression, Baekhyun deflates. “Look, Dae…I suck at surviving on my own. I’m freezing, starving, and I couldn’t stay away: you’re too good of a cook.” He shifts his eyes to the side. “Also I’m still paying for half the rent, so…”

 

“I am _this_ close to kicking you out again.”

 

“Also I think I already mentioned that I might be kind of in love with you?”

 

Jongdae curses his heart for skipping a beat. “Nice try, but you’ll have to do better than that.”

 

“I’m serious. When we were Solar Flare and Thundershock….dear god, Jongdae, please petition for a name-change…I only kissed you for the cameras. Forbidden romance is the stuff publicity is made of, and I know we _both_ get paid good money for making headlines.” The next shiver that runs through him makes Jongdae’s gut twist with guilt. “But everything I said about liking _you_ , the actual Kim Jongdae, was true. If you’re not interested, I’ll drop it, but I thought maybe there was a chance…?”

 

_Now or never._

 

“You didn’t exactly make it easy for me to come to terms with everything, but... yeah, you could say that I’m interested.”

 

A genuine look of happiness lights up Baekhyun’s face for the briefest of moments before it returns to normal. “So…does that mean I can come in now?”

 

Jongdae lasts approximately three seconds before he cracks. “Come inside and let me hug you, you pathetic excuse for an archnemesis.”

 

Even through his shivering, Baekhyun manages a smile. “Were you always such a romantic?”

 

Jongdae briefly considers punching him again before he remembers how that turned out the last time. It seems like a much better idea to step aside and let his best friend through the door, shutting it tightly before wrapping him in a welcoming embrace.

 

“You’re not allowed to run away again. Got it?” Jongdae says into Baekhyun’s shoulder.

 

And Baekhyun, being the person he is, just grins and asks, “Aww, Thundershock, did you really miss me that much?”

 

“I take it all back. Pack your things and be gone by tomorrow morning.”

 

“You always know just what to say, Dae~”

 

~*~

 

Jongdae is pulled out of a dreamless sleep by a hand on his shoulder gently shaking him awake. It’s not exactly an appreciated gesture, and he makes sure the owner of the hand knows it, grumbling an obstinate “leave me _alone_ , Baek” in his sleep-slurred voice.

 

A low laugh sounds close to his ear. “I know how badly you need your beauty sleep, trust me. But just a heads up: be ready in about half an hour.”

 

“What…?”

 

“ _Ssh_.” Baekhyun plants a sloppy kiss on Jongdae’s cheek, making the latter wrinkle his nose in distaste. “I’ve gotta’ go now. Love you, bye~”

 

It’s too early for this. Jongdae can hardly keep his eyes open, much less process what the hell Baekhyun is talking about. He swats at the other man’s retreating form, missing entirely, and is fast asleep in seconds…

 

...until he’s woken up half an hour later by the sound of his watch insistently beeping at him, signaling he’s wanted for hero business.

 

With clumsy movements that make him look more zombie than human, he rolls out of bed and slaps the power button on the TV. The local news station flashes onto the screen, and Jongdae watches as a camerawoman does her best to film the flaming hole in the bank’s front wall.

 

“ _Only moments ago, our favorite superhero’s archnemesis ━the notorious villain who goes by the name Solar Flare━ broke into the bank and took every employee as a hostage.”_

 

A face suddenly fills the screen, smirk now recognizable under the mask.

 

“You wanted me to stop with the crimes, didn’t you, Thundershock?” Baekhyun says mockingly, slinging a sack of stolen cash over his shoulder. “Well, you’re going to have to catch me first.”

 

He makes horribly obnoxious kissy faces into the camera, and Jongdae feels the blood boil beneath his skin as he starts to slip into his suit’s pants━ which, he’s just realizing now, have been purposefully shrunk down a size in the washing machine.

 

“DAMN IT, BAEKHYUN!”

 

  
~END~


End file.
